The Art of Mending

The Art of Mending

Random House - 2004

What's it About?

A woman's grown sister makes allegations about abuse she claims to have suffered at the hands of their mother when they were growing up. The book is about the way that everyone in a family has a different experience of it. The narrator must decide if what her sister is saying is true, and what her obligations now are-to her family of origin as well as to the family she has with her husband.

What was the inspiration?

A woman I once knew suffered serious abuse from her father when she was growing up. I often wondered how that might have occurred, seemingly under the noses of the rest of the family. I wondered how she found compassion for that father, as the woman seemed to have done. I wondered what it would be like to be told about such things, years after they happened, if it might be difficult to believe a sibling who made such allegations.

A random quote from the book

"You are born into your family, and your family is born into you. No returns. No exchanges."